Dredging Under Way On Ocracoke-Hatteras Route

Dredging operations are under way in the Hatteras-Ocracoke ferry channel to help return the route to its original path.

The N.C. Department of Transportation said the operations began Friday morning. The goal is to clear a 10-to-12-foot depth along the route between the ferry facilities on Hatteras and Ocracoke. It's hoped that the dredging will allow the route to get back on course in a few weeks.

An overnight storm on Jan. 18 made the route too shallow for ferries to travel safely, and an alternate route between Hatteras and Ocracoke has been in use since Jan. 22.

A dredge which arrived on Thursday will work 12-hour days to clear a path for a replacement dredge which will haul sand away from the area and dump it in another location.

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